Saturday, March 31, 2012

The world’s population has now surpassed the seven billion mark and is predicted to reach nine billion by 2050. With a billion people already hungry, this raises the question– how can we feed them and the billions still to come?

This was the question being addressed last week at Economist Conferences ‘Feeding the World’ summit in Geneva, Switzerland on 8th February. The day saw some of the most respected names from agribusiness, Government, international agencies and the scientific community come together to generate fresh solutions to critical food security challenges.

Some of the key discussions at the summit centered around the role of public-private partnerships as a key mechanism for advancing agriculture to meet global challenges in food security. Developing new crops and increasing crop yields through innovative research and technology will also play a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Last May, the Prince of Wales gave a speech on sustainability at Georgetown. Many of us who heard it thought it was seminal. First, that it came from a public figure whose pronouncements must be moderate and moderated; second, because it was such a strong, specific statement of principles many of us have believed in and have been working toward for a long time; and third, because, contrary to what pretty much anyone would expect, the speech was written by, not for, him.

I was also particularly struck by Eric Schlosser's introduction to the speech, as strong a statement as I've ever heard or read about food justice, income inequality, and the necessity of thinking about every part of the food system -- particularly the people who grow and pick and pack it -- when buying food and eating.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A short food supply chain is created when producers and final consumers realize they share the same goals, which can be achieved by creating new opportunities that strengthen local food networks. It is an alternative strategy enabling producers to regain an active role in the food system, as it focuses on local production - decentralized regional food systems that minimize the number of steps involved and the distance traveled by food (food miles).

This enables small-scale enterprises to establish food supply chains that are ‘independent' of the wider system. By cutting out some of the intermediary stages between producers and consumers - such as wholesale and distribution - we can rediscover our local area and essential parts of its identity, as well as forge a new relationship between the agricultural and urban worlds.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The rapid urban growth no longer supports the traditional divide between "urban" and "rural". In Europe, a significant share of agricultural activities take place in highly urbanised settings, producing food and public goods (such as recreation, landscape management) and confronted with particular pressures on land resources as well as opportunities. There is a growing trend in the urban population to consume fresh and local products, demand short chain food delivery and to request more transparency on the origin of the products. Citizens are increasingly calling for the creation of a regional urban-focused food system and for support to small farmers in rural peri-urban areas, in order to increase availability and accessibility to food. Moreover, both technological and social innovation in urban peri-urban agriculture can play an important role in mitigating climate change, closing nutrient cycles and prepare effective tools for adaptation and building more resilient urban areas.